Cutter-head for milling-machines.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

F. D. SMITH. CUTTER HEAD FOB. MILLING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 27, 190B.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W A 5 M PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907. F. 1). SMITH. CUTTER HEAD FOR MILLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

niinllllllllilllnuifii FRANK D. SMITH, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUTTER-HEAD FOR MILLING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1 1, 1907.

Application filed July 27, 1906- Serial No. 328,041.

To all whom it may concern.-

7 Be it kn'ownthat I, FRANK D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residin at Springfield, in the county of-Hampden an State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cutter-Heads for Millin -Machines, of which the following is a speci cation.

This invention relates to machine tools and has especial reference to the construction of a cutter-head for milling machines, the object of the invention being to provide an improved -cutterhead of this class having two spindles supported on a suitable head and rotatable about a common axis inde endently to permit the cutter of each to wor at a different angle from the other, if desired, each spindle bein independently rotatable on its own axis an having a common driving con-- nection with the machine the head on which said spindles-are secured also being rotatable in the plane of the axis on which they are r0 tated for adjustment; a further object of the invention is to provide in the above 'described construction means to rotate one of Said spindles in either direction inde endently of the other, means being provi ed to prevent the rotation of this spindle, if desired.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 1s a sectional elevation of a cutter-head and its sup ort showin clearly the driving connection ibrthe spin les and the connection of the spindles with the head; also the connection of the latter with a suitable base through which the drivin connection from the machine extends. ig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows, on a somewhat reduced scale in side elevation, the position of the two spindles in which both are adjusted at the same angle on either side of a vertical line drawn throu h the axis on which the spindles swing. ig. 4 is a front elevation showing one of the spindles provided with a cutter and the other provided with a stem and serving as a pilot-spindle for profiling work. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing both spindles in the same vertical plane one provided with a larger cutter than the other whereby two outs may be made in a piece of work at different depths and at the same time. Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing both cutters adjusted to the same horizontal plane whereby two outs maybe made in apiece of work'at the same cutting a rack-gear. f

Referring now to these drawings, a is a base-piece which may be of any suitable form adapted to be secured to a milling machine or like tool in position to permit a drivingshaft 1) having a suitable driving connection with the machine, to extend through it. This base-piece a has formed in one end thereof a circular T-groove 0- into which studs 11 (T-shaped in cross section to correspond with the groove). may enter. These studs are secured to a spindle-head e and one end extends through the head and is provided with a nut (not shown) whereby the head may be secured to the base in any ad justed position in the manner well known 1n this class'of machines:

The spindle-head e carries a shaft f on which is a beveled gear 9 in mesh with a hke' beveled gear h on the driving-shaft b, both of these shafts being provided with suitable bearings in the head, and on o posite ends of the shaft f are beveled gears I and m. The ends of the head e, through which the shaft f and the gears 7c and m extend, are squared off at right angles to said shaft and provided ,time, as for example, in

with a circular T-groove 0, spindle-casings p Y its casing in the manner to be described further on, and one end of each spindle being provided with any well known tool-holding chuck, as for example, the well'known taplpred split-j awed chuck .9, shown in the spm- Iri the spindle-casin p is a beveled gear t in mesh with the gear and having a spline and groove connection with the spindle q whereby the latter may be rotated by, and at the same time be freely movablethrough, the gear. In the casing 1 two beveled gears 12 and w are located simi ar in all respects to the gear 25, except that they have no spline and groove connection with the spindle, and these gears v and w are located on the spmdle 1- H1 mesh with the gear m on the shaft f at. opposite points thereon, the inner ends of each of the gears 12 and to being provided with clutch-teeth .'1-. Located between these two gears and on the spindle 1' is a clutch-collar same direction; but the spindle 1 may be ro.

the latter, the spindle rotates in one direction and when in clutch with the other, in the opposite direction.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that the rotation of the shaft b will, through the gears h and g, rotate the shaftf which, in turn, will rotate the spindle always in the tated in either direction according as the clutch-collar y is thrown into clutch with the gear 1; or the gear w. When the clutch-collar is located equi-distantly between these two gears, the spindle '1' will remain idle.

Means to feed the spindle axially toward and from thework are provided and consist of the following mechanism: The upper end of each spindle has fitted thereto an exteriorly screw-threaded sleeve 5 in which the spindle revolves, and screwed over this sleeve 1s another one 6 having a flange 7 whichrotates in a groove formed by the upper end of the spindle-casing and by a flanged cap 8 screwmg down onto it. The upper end of the sleeve 6 is preferably provided with an annular llange 9 for spanner-holes whereby the sleeve may be rotated to move the I sleeve vertically. This latter is prevented from turning by means ,of a key 10 which enters a straight groove 12 extending from. top to bottom of the sleeve, and the thrust of the latter downward is taken by a pin 13 extending through the spindle or any other suitable abutment. The thrust "upward is taken by a nut 14 screwed onto the end of the spindle provided with a check-nut 15.

In Fig. 1 the left-hand spindle is shown in a raised position and the right-hand spindle is shown in a lowered position,the construction of the feed devices on both spindles being the same. Each of the spindle-casings p and p is provided with a removable cap 16 located opposite the ends of the shaft f, to the end that access may be had to the interior thereof for purposes of examination for lubrication, and a like cap is secured to the under side of the head 6 to cover the recess therein n which the bevel-gears h and g are located. 011 referring to Fig. 3, it is seen that this construction permits of an adjustment of spindles in which the tool-carrying end of either spindle may be swung to the right or left of a vertical line extending through the axis on which the spindles are swung for adjustment, thus making it possible to'work on oppositely located undercut walls at the same time.

Fig. 4 shows in what manner the spindles may be used on a profiling job,-------one of the spindles being provided with a cutter 17 and the other with a pilot-spindle 18, the work being indicated by 19 and the )attern-plate by 20, both being sdcured to the work-bed 21 of a milling mach ne; and as this bed is provided with feed-screws to move it in rectangular directions, these may be operated.

by the workmen to hold the pat-tern-plate in contact with the pilot-spindle 18 thus permitting the reproduction of the pattern on the work 19.

Fig. 5 shows still another adjustment of the spindle whereby two parallel cuts of different depths may be made at the same time by alining the spindles vertically and applying thereto cutters of di'll'erent lialne ters and feeding the work past both cutters.

Fig. 6 shows each of the spindles swung to a position at right angles to the vertical plane, one on each side of the latter, and provided with cutters of the same diameter whereby the machine may be used for cutting the teeth. of rack-gears; or, if desired, still another adjustment may be made (which, however, it was not tho'ught necessaryto illustrate in the drawings in which one of the spindles will be adjusted to vertical position, as shown'in Fig. 4, and the other to a position at right angles to the first,-that is in the position' shown in Fig. 6.

It is obviousthat the machine is capable of an infinite variety of adjustments other than those described and illustrated in this application, but it is thought that enough has been shown and deseribed to clearly emphasize the utility and novelty of the invention.-

Still another useful feature of the machine showing its adaptability to a great variety of work may be illustrated by assuming that a cut is to be made on either side of a piece of work and however narrow the piece may be, the head may be rotated to bring the cutter on each spindle to bear on each side of the piece, the latter being secured to the workbed of the machine in position to be fed past both cutters.

What I claim, is

1. The combination with a suitable head rotatable in a fixed plane, two spindles on said head rotatably mounted thereon to swing in parallel planes and at right angles to the plane of rotation of the head, a driving-shaft in said head, and suitable driving connections between said shaft and said spindles, and feeding devices associated with -centrically wit thereto, and capable of adjustment in parmesh with other gears on said shaft, feedin devices to move the s indles axially, an means to rotate said sha t. n

3. The combination with a head rotatable in a fixed plane, a shaft rotatably mounted in said head, spindle casin s rotatably mounted on opposite ends of the head consaid shaft and at right angles allel planes, driving-gears in said casings in mesh with other gears on said shaft, spindles in the casings havinga rotative engagement'with the gears therein and havingendwise movement relative to said gears, together with feeding devices for the spindles to move them axially in either direction, and means to rotate said shaft.

4. The combination with a milling machine or like tool, of a suitable head rotatable ina fixed plane, a spindle on eachend of said head rotatably mounted thereon to swing in parallel planes and at ri ht les to the plane of rotation of the hea a driving-shaft in said head, and suitable dri connectrons between said shaft and sai spindles whereby the latter mai r be rotated in the same, or in opposite ections, independently, and feeding devices associated with each spindle to move the latter axiall 5. The combination with a milling ma-' chine or like tool, of a suitable head rotatable in a fixed plane, a spindle on each end of said head, rotatably mounted thereon to swing in parallel planes and at right angles to the 1 plane of rotation of the hea a driving-shaft in said headyand a driving connection for- .of rotation of the head, a driving-shaft in said head, a beveled gear thereon engaging another beveled gear on one ofsaid spindles to rotate it in one direction, a beveled gear on the opposite end of said shaft, and two beveled gears on thespindle adjacent thereto in mesh with the gear on the driving-shaft,

and a clutch-collar on the spindle between 'said gears having a rotative engagement with the spindle whereby the shifting of the collar into clutch with the 'gears on the spindle will effect the rotation of the'latter opposite directions, together with independent feeding devices for the spindles,

, FRANK D. SMITH. Witnesses:

WM. H. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMONS. 

